Grouping 1937

Wassily Kandinsky made this oil on canvas, Grouping, which is here in Stockholm. Look at the bright, bold blue background. It's like a stage for all these colorful, geometric shapes to dance and play. You can really feel how Kandinsky relished the process of pushing paint around, making something from nothing. See how the paint is applied thinly in layers, with a fluidity and grace which is not overworked. There's no attempt to hide the hand of the artist. Everything is immediate, alive and pulsing with energy, like the painting is still in the process of becoming. Take the cluster of shapes toward the top right. The brushwork is so confident and direct, with each stroke adding to the overall sense of rhythm. To me it feels a little like Joan Miró's biomorphic forms, where shapes suggest things but never quite resolve into a fixed image, keeping the door open for our imaginations to wander freely. Ultimately, this is a painting that celebrates the joy of seeing, thinking, and feeling.